Bears rookie diaries with Ruben Hyppolite II, Kyle Monangai | Week 1
As told to Gabby Hajduk

Bears fourth-round pick Ruben Hyppolite II — a linebacker from Maryland — and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai — a running back from Rutgers — share their training camp experiences exclusively on ChicagoBears.com. This series will feature both players giving first-person accounts once a week throughout training camp.

When I drove up to Halas Hall last Saturday for rookie report day, I felt ready to go. That's all that was going through my mind. You spend years preparing for something, then there comes a time when you're just ready to do what you've been waiting for.

The break between our offseason program and training camp was nice though. I had a great summer. I went back home to Fort Lauderdale, spent some quality time with my family and trained down in Florida as well.

One of the highlights was a draft celebration that my mom threw for me. I didn't necessarily want a party, but she wasn't trying to hear me on that, so we had the celebration. I had a lot of fun though and saw a lot of my friends and family who helped me get to this point. Another top moment was having the chance to take care of my family. I got cars for my grandmother, mother, sister and myself.

My mom has obviously taken care of us for so long and now it's my turn. I had been wanting to do that for awhile, so it was a really special feeling for me.

The summer is behind us now and I'm locked in on camp. We've been back at Halas for a little over a week now and I'm starting to really settle in, find my routine and work toward my goals.

Right now, I've been waking up around 6:00 a.m., reading a 40-day devotional book that my friend's mom gifted me and heading over to the facility around 6:45. Each morning on my way out of my room, I also take a mental note of my training camp goals that are written on my mirror.

Make the 53-man roster.

Start on special teams.

Earn a role on defense.

I want to accomplish those three goals by the end of training camp.

Once I'm at Halas I stop in the cafeteria to grab breakfast, which is always three pancakes with honey, then head to the locker room to get ready for morning practice.

We've had four practices so far and I've enjoyed being coached by DA (Dennis Allen) and coach [Richard] Smith. They're tough and demanding, but that's the coaching I grew up receiving, so it's nothing new.

Before we left for the summer, DA told us we'd have 40 up-downs to start training camp and he followed through on that. On the first day of practice before team periods, every guy on the defense had to do the up-downs. I was fine until I got to 30 and then I was starting to slow down a bit. It was tough, but good. That's just the initiation to playing on DA's defense.

As a defensive unit, we've been focused on executing our style of play. One of DA's big things is focusing less on what defense is being called and more on how we play it or what our intent is. DA and coach Smith both have tons of experience and knowledge, so I've just been a sponge around them.

It's been cool being around the other linebackers like Tremaine [Edmunds] and T.J. [Edwards] Tremaine is from the DMV area so we have some commonalities there. It's definitely like a big brother-type of vibe with him, just chopping it up and learning from the example he sets.

T.J. and I primarily play the same position, so I spend a lot more time talking to T.J. about the defense, just picking his brain and soaking in the knowledge he gives me. I appreciate Amen [Ogbongbemiga] as well — we talk a lot about special teams — and then Noah [Sewell] and I run reps in practice together. Those are some guys I've been leaning on and their experience in the league has been invaluable to me.

I've also stayed on top of my rookie duties for them. Tremaine texted me before camp started and let me know what they wanted for the linebacker room, so I went and got a big trunk full of candy, snacks, Rice Krispies and all that. I had to go back to the store over the weekend and grab some chips and sunflower seeds, so we should be set now.

By the end of camp, I just want my coaches and teammates to feel like they can trust me to execute at a high level and do my job beside them. I want them to know that not only can I make a play, but I can do what's necessary to allow them to make their play. It's just about being trusted on both sides of that.

With Week 1 done, I'm really looking forward to putting the pads on this week and actually hitting. I know we'll have fans back at practice, so I'm excited for that as well. It was fun signing autographs and feeling their energy last Friday — it felt more like a game atmosphere which was cool.

Aside from that, I'm not trying to look too far ahead. I'm just standing where my feet are and focusing on the now.

Stepping back into Halas Hall nine days ago was refreshing. I had a nice time on break, but I was glad to be back. Really all that was on my mind was "time to work."

I spent the majority of summer training, whether it was in Atlanta or Fort Lauderdale, working to get my body and mind right for my first training camp. But before I headed down south, I went home to Jersey and took a week away from football to spend time with my family.

We drove nearly two hours to the Jersey Shore and enjoyed some beach time. It was nice to disconnect for a few days and also give my parents some time away to relax. It was a really good break, but then I got back to work.

When I was in Fort Lauderdale, I was training at XPE Sports, where I did my NFL Combine prep. A lot of NFL guys train down there during the offseason too, so it's cool to pick peoples' brains and work alongside them.

A week before camp started, I focused in on getting my mind right for the next six weeks — just mentally understanding that I was about to go into something that would be hard. It was about knowing that once I got back to Chicago, it would be a challenge every day to grind, then reset and go be a better version of myself the next day.

So far, I feel good about what how I've been able to handle the challenges of camp. I haven't set specific milestones I want to accomplish in camp — I'm more focused on carving out a role for myself and building onto the reputation of the player I am.

I hope people already know that I'm hard working, but if that's not already known across the organization, I want the type of player I am and the value I bring to be clear to everyone by the end of camp.

My main goal is that when my name is brought up, it's synonymous with one of the hardest workers on the team.

I think if I attack each day with that mentality, I'll be happy with what happens by the end of camp.

I'm definitely enjoying the schedule of an NFL training camp more than college. I feel like in college, you don't have time in between practices or meetings to reset and recover, but here, there's more emphasis on getting our bodies right throughout the day. It's still a long day and you definitely have to plan well or it'll pass you by, but I feel good about the time I have to take care of my body and prepare for what's next.

I'm still tweaking my daily routine, but right now I've made it a point to get in the building early — 6:30 a.m. at the latest — then get in the tubs and review the playbook one more time. I do more recovery circuits after practice and at night after meetings, then when I go back to the hotel, I do my studying, watch film and read.

I'm trying to get back into reading more, so I'm currently in the middle of a book by Dale Carnegie called "How to Win Friends and Influence People." I'm enjoying it so far. It teaches you a lot.

Out on the field, practices have been good. We're only a few days in, but it's been good to get back to work with the offense and coach EB (Eric Bieniemy). People keep asking me what it's like playing for him because he's known to be tough, and he is, but that's the only way I've been coached in football. So for me, it's been great.

He's obviously a great coach. He's been a coordinator, so he really doesn't teach us concepts from just a running back's perspective. He expects us to understand the whole playbook, because he looks at it from the overall aspect of how we can be successful in each play as an offensive unit, not just as running backs.

That mentality definitely helps us do our jobs better. He's just one of the most knowledgeable coaches I've ever been around. Playing for him, he's gonna demand a lot of you and that's fine with me. I respond to that type of coaching the best. And he plays around too. He's not all serious all the time. He's got a good sense of humor and that's fun to be around too.

I'm really looking forward to this week when we put the pads on and can actually hit somebody.

Coming into the NFL, it's clear that everyone is faster and stronger than college. Everything on the field happens way faster now and you better react quicker. I think we'll get to really see that come to life with pads on, so it's gonna be a fun time.